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Team PSP | 01/04/2020
As of today, April 1st, 2020, the world looks vastly different than it did just a few months ago. The Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) has now reached over 192 countries, with 858,832 confirmed cases and 42,158 lives lost. Since the initial outbreak in Wuhan back in December, the global scientific community has been in a dead heat to understand this virus.
While the pandemic unfolded too quickly for an immediate cure, a powerful ally has emerged in the trenches: Artificial Intelligence (AI). From the labs of tech giants to the front lines of hospital wards, AI is helping us navigate this “new normal” and chart a course toward recovery.
Tech Giants Lead the Charge
In China, the epicenter of the early fight, technology leaders like Alibaba, Baidu, and Huawei are collaborating with government agencies to flatten the curve.
- Lightning-Fast Diagnosis: Alibaba has developed an AI system that can detect coronavirus via CT scans with 96% efficiency. While traditional analysis takes about 15 minutes, this algorithm finishes the job in just 20 seconds.
- Decoding the Virus: Baidu’s AI team released LinearFold, a tool that slashed the time needed to predict the virus’s RNA structure from 55 minutes to a mere 27 seconds—a critical step for drug discovery.
- Public Safety Monitoring: “Computer Vision” and infrared sensors are now being used in transit hubs to create real-time temperature profiles, identifying potential fever cases in crowds without physical contact.
4 Ways AI is Limiting the Spread
Governments are looking toward AI to manage the current crisis and, more importantly, prevent the next one.
- Predicting Pathogens: Experts believe there are nearly 800,000 animal viruses that could jump to humans. AI can analyze animal populations and environmental data to identify “hotspots” before an outbreak begins.
- Early Detection: Time is our scarcest resource. AI offers the speed necessary to diagnose new pathogens like COVID-19 or Hanta before they reach a tipping point.
- Strategic Response: By tracking travel patterns and population density, AI helps officials predict where the virus will strike next, allowing for smarter lockdown and resource allocation.
- Data-Driven Recovery: Once the curve is flattened, AI-driven “What if” simulations will help leaders decide when it is safe to reopen society and how to bolster our healthcare systems for the future.
Innovation on the Ground
We are seeing “boundary-breaking” applications of technology every day:
| Technology | Application in the 2020 Pandemic |
| AI Robots | Pudu Technology has deployed robots to 40+ hospitals to deliver food and medicine, protecting staff from exposure. |
| Drones | Terra Drone is transporting medical samples and quarantine supplies, while others patrol public spaces with thermal imaging. |
| Smart Helmets | In Sichuan, officials are wearing AI helmets that automatically flag individuals with high temperatures as they walk by. |
| Drug Discovery | BenevolentAI is using predictive modeling to identify existing drugs that could be repurposed to treat COVID-19 patients today. |
The Future of Surveillance
As we lean on AI chat-bots for health consultations and apps to track our contact with infected patients, a new conversation is beginning. The massive use of tracking and surveillance tools during this crisis could change how we think about data and ethical governance forever.
Right now, our priority is saving lives. But as we use these digital tools to fight a biological war, we are also building the blueprint for the healthcare system of the future.